"Like Someone in Love" at UICA explores human emotions, relationships

At one point during Abbas Kiarostami’s film, “Like Someone in Love,” I literally said out loud, “I don’t know where this is going.”

An Official Selection of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, “Like Someone in Love” is a Japanese language, French-Japanese production written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

The plot revolves around Akiko, a call girl who is forced to visit Takashi, an older client and a friend of her boss. However, when Akiko arrives at Takashi’s apartment, she discovers that Takashi would much rather have her company to converse with over dinner and wine. It is later revealed that Akiko has a fiancé with a violent past and is unaware of her profession.

“Like Someone in Love” is a challenging story that explores themes of loneliness, internal and external struggles and how people may perceive love. Does not being lonely equate to being in love?

Rin Takanashi was able to express Akiko’s inner turmoil, agonizing over being unable to visit with her loving grandmother due to being forced to tend to her client.

Takashi, played by Tadashi Okuno, skilfully balanced emotions of loneliness, kindness and warmth without emitting much of the creepiness associated with an older man paying to spend time with a much younger female.

While much of the nuance in the dialogue and nonverbal communication was probably lost in the English translation, the back stories and main conflict were carefully interwoven throughout the dialogue. While Kiarostami did not explicitly state that Akiko was a call girl until half-way through the film, he left subtle clues through exchanges between characters and through Akiko’s actions. Ambiguity is such a drastic departure from many blockbuster movies.

The film demands a bit of patience from audience members. “Like Someone in Love” features long takes and much of the action is covered with master shots. Characters leave and recite their dialogue off-camera or while obstructed.

At times, “Like Someone in Love” feels like a documentary. Kiarostami chooses to keep the mundanities of life in the film. In one such example, we see Takashi fall asleep behind the wheel of his vehicle while stopped at a red light. Kiarostami refuses to change the focus of the audience and keeps this shot on Takashi for what feels like an eternity.

If you you do not lack patience, enjoy ambiguity, watching the complexities of life and observing human emotions and relationships, “Like Someone in Love” may be right up your alley.

"Like Someone in Love" is opening at the UICA on Friday, April 19 with showtimes at 1:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Visit the UICA website for details.